Read the text, then answer the questions.
• 1. What do these figures refer to?
• a)1.6 kilometres b) December 1911
• 2. What did the team do in 2011 that nobody had done
before?
• 3. What did some of the team achieve in 2010?
• 4. What things were particularly dangerous on the
expedition?
• 5. Why do scientists now think that cars are more
useful in Antarctica?​

Benefits of online learning

Education is available to everyone regardless of age or health status.

The student can plan the place and time of the lesson, adjust the online training for their employment.

The webinars provide an opportunity to communicate directly. There is feedback from the teacher to the students.

The lesson can be recorded on a computer.

Significant time savings is an undeniable advantage of online learning. There is no need to spend time on the road, on traffic jams and on attending face-to-face lectures.

Disadvantages of online training

Tough self-discipline. Often have to just force yourself to learn. After all, the success of the process depends on the learning outcome.

Without motivation from the outside it is very difficult to regularly study and understand scientific concepts.

There are difficulties with the perception of new printed information. There is no practice and detailed explanations.

Not everyone who wants to learn has the possibility of high-speed and reliable Internet access.

Features of online learning

Thus, assessing all the pros and cons of online learning, and focusing on the fact that the shortcomings can be eliminated, it should be concluded that such education is very convenient for busy people and more modern in our time.

The popularity of this form of education is characterized by several reasons. When a student chooses a short-term training program for advanced training, it is necessary to be in the classroom with a strict schedule, listen to already known materials and lectures, which is inconvenient. When learning remotely such problems do not arise.

Any student himself determines the schedule of classes, and communicates with teachers via the Internet and e-mail.

To implement this method of learning is necessary, mainly, a constant connection to the Internet. Later, when you access the website of the University, all students open a personal page. This page contains the tasks necessary for the implementation, the results of the implementation and recommendations of the teaching staff. Completed tasks the student sends via e-mail. Students can also find all the necessary books, lectures and manuals on the website. Typically, this system of training is suitable for those who wish to have another higher education, retrain or improve their professional knowledge. For people who do not have enough free time to attend classes in the classroom, it will be especially convenient.

How difficult the training will be depends on some factors: the student, the level and quality of knowledge, the specialty. The more knowledge already available, the easier the new material will be given. Online training program is selected for each individual, which makes it possible to reduce the period of training. And yet, such education is not suitable for everyone.

First, there are difficulties in understanding the printed information. Secondly, there is no detailed explanation. Third, there is no practice and self-discipline. It is quite difficult to learn new and unfamiliar material on your own. This should be done regularly, and, as a rule, it is not easy to force yourself to understand what you do not understand. But if this problem can be solved, then online training is an ideal option for a busy person.

There is another kind of online learning-webinars. These are interactive seminars that are held live. Its essence lies in the fact that the specialists of a particular region prepare topics and perform in front of an online audience. To get to the webinars, you need to apply, pay for these services and be at the computer connected to the Internet.

I would like to tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of smartphones. We use our phones every day. It is thing we cannot live without in the modern century. Smartphones can serve also as a camera, calendar, planner and alarm. We keep in touch easily with our friends and family. You can send them pictures and videos. You can use a smartphone to watch funny videos, listen to the music or play your favorite games. If you have an emergency, you can quickly ask for help.

As for disadvantages, smartphones affect the nervous system and even damage your eyes. The social websites and games can lead to person`s addiction. Many people wake up in the morning and check their smartphones first. As you store a lot of personal information on mobile phones, you may have security risks, especially if you lose your smartphone. So you always must remember a correct password to protect all the information.